For those for whom exam results are an important gauge of how to judge a school The Sunday Times would have been this weekend's go-to publication.

Its 20-page Parent Power supplement listed what it called the Top 150 independent schools, ranked by examination results in A-Levels and GCSEs, and the same for state schools.

And just in case you are one of those dreading having to up-sticks or commute as far as it takes to place your child in among the high-achievers, fear not - Gloucestershire schools featured on both lists.

Ranking seventh in the national top 150 state schools list was Cheltenham's Pate's Grammar School, up one place in a table overwhelmingly heavy with selective schools.

It was up one place to seventh with 92.2 per cent of students who took A-Levels achieving A* to B and 86.7 per cent who took the new GCSE's achieving a 9, 8 or 7 ranking (in old money that equates to an A* or A).

Selective Stroud High School comes in at 43 - up from number 87 last year - with 76.4 per cent gaining an A* to B at A-Level and 75.7 managing a 9,8 or 7 at GCSE.

At number 78 (up from 83) was Sir Thomas Rich's School (72.2 per cent for A-levels and 66.4 per cent for GCSE), down one place at 118 was High School for Girls, Gloucester (61.7 for A-levels and 69.7 for GCSE), and up from 195 to 130, Marling School, Stroud (64 for A-levels and 61.1 for GCSE).

All of the trio also selective.

When it comes to independent schools (privately paid for) Cheltenham Ladies College jumped from 54th place to number 23 (93 for A-levels and 92.5 for GCSE).

Cheltenham College (77 for A-levels and 69.3 for GCSE) came in at number 138, down from 143.